SEC conference may be adding participants

By Karyn Spory, Mt. Pleasant News

The Southeast Conference might become just a little bigger as two school districts are looking to join, according to Mt. Pleasant?s Athletic Director Scot Lamm.

Lamm told the school board Monday night during its regularly scheduled meeting that Burlington and Ottumwa, both 4A schools have both expressed interest in leaving their conferences and joining the SEC.

Burlington is currently a member of the Mississippi Athletic Conference (MAC) and Ottumwa participates in the Central Iowa Metro League (CIML).

The schools had previously been part of the SEC conference, said Lamm.

?Ottumwa was in our conference as late as 1998. Burlington hasn?t been in our conference as long as 1958,? he said.

This wouldn?t be a first for Mt. Pleasant students to compete against Burlington and Ottumwa athletes. Besides non-conference contests, the two districts do play against Mt. Pleasant Middle School students. ?So our kids are used to competing against them,? said Lamm.

The two districts would be a part of the SEC for all sports, except for football as those districts are drawn up individually. They would also be a part of the SEC for all academic and fine arts purposes, which Lamm said he saw as only a positive.

Lamm added this would be highly beneficial for the conference?s basketball schedule as outside of conference foes, it is up to the district to schedule games and that can, at times, be difficult.

Lamm said the districts would meet again to discuss the matter on July 11. The earliest the shift could happen would be for the 2018-19 school year.

During the meeting, Mike Vens, of Gamrath-Doyle-Vens updated the board on their property/causality workman?s comp. insurance renewal.

Vens said he reviewed two separate companies, but would recommend the district stay with Employers Mutual Causality Company (EMC). Vens added the district would be seeing some decreases in costs. The board approved this recommendation.

In other news, the district:

? Approved the master contract agreement between the district and the Mt. Pleasant Education Association. The contract included a total benefit package increase of 2.07 percent.

? Approved the master contract for all other non-certified personnel, managers, administrators, central office and food service employees. The contract included a total benefit package increase of 1.91 percent.

? Renewed the milk and bread bids.

? Approved a total bid package of $114,552 from Martin Concrete to pave the high school?s north end sidewalk, front of the building and one-third, plus 10 feet, of the teacher parking lot.

The regularly scheduled meeting of the school board will be held on Monday, July 10, 2017 at 6 p.m.